Ilkay Gundogan Becomes Pep Guardiola’s First Manchester City Signing
#WelcomeIlkay @Guendogan8 #mcfc https://t.co/Zo3SwKoR0z
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) June 2, 2016
Manchester City have officially signed Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund on a four-year deal.
Ilkay Gundogan becomes the first signing of Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola era. The midfielder leaves Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £20 million, after spending 5 seasons and making 157 appearances at the German club.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the 25-year-old expressed his happiness to have joined the English giants by stating: “I’m thrilled to have signed for Manchester City. When I learned of City’s interest my heart was set on coming here and things have moved very quickly.”
The German international also thanked his former club by saying: “I have loved my time with Borussia Dortmund and I would like to thank the club and the supporters for the five very happy years I spent there. They gave me a platform to play on and I became a better player because of the belief, patience and trust they showed in me.”
He further talked about his excitement to play for his brand new club, under a brand new manager: “Now I have a new challenge and that is to achieve great things with City. The opportunity to work with a coach like Pep Guardiola is something I am really looking forward to and I am flattered to be the first signing the Club has made this summer.
“I can promise the City fans I will give everything to help us win titles both in England and the Champions League. These are exciting times. I have my best years ahead of me and I think we can achieve great things together. I can’t wait to begin this new chapter in my career.”
Manchester City’s Director of Football Txiki Begiristain welcomed the new signing by saying: “Ilkay is an excellent addition to our team and we are delighted to have him on board. He is an intelligent and versatile midfielder who can operate in a number of different roles. I think our supporters will enjoy his work ethic and technical ability and I believe he will be a very important player for us in the coming years.”
City’s new star man, however, won’t be representing his team in the first few games of the season, as he continues to recover from his knee injury – an injury which also kept him from going to the Euro 2016 with Germany.
